(a) whether it is a fact that 16 States and two Union Territories fall under the ‘over-exploited’ category in utilization of ground water;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has formulated any scheme to give special attention/focus to these States so that their ground water level is restored to reasonable levels; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION & PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)
(a) & (b) As per the assessment of dynamic ground water resources of Country (As on 31st March 2013) carried out jointly by CGWB and State Ground Water Departments, out of the total 6584 numbers of assessment units (Block/ Taluks/ Mandals/ watershed/ Firkka), 1034 units have been categorized as ‘Over-exploited’ which are spread over 16 States and 1 Union Territory. Details are given at Annexure.
(c) & (d) Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources to ensure sustainability and availability are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments.
However, Central Government has proposed Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) aimed at sustainable ground water management with community participation in select over-exploited and ground water stressed areas in seven States (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh). ABHY is designed as a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs. 6,000 Crore and is proposed to be implemented with World Bank assistance.
Besides, other steps taken by the Central Government for conservation of ground water are available at the following URL http://mowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/MeasuresForGW-Depletion_1.pdf.
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ANNEXURE
Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) & (b) of Unstarred Question No. 3332 to be answered in Lok Sabha on 15.03.2018 regarding “Utilization of Ground Water”.
CATEGORIZATION OF BLOCKS/ MANDALS/ TALUKS IN INDIA (2013)
Sl. No. States / Union Territories Total No. of Assessed Units Over-exploited
Assessment Units
States
1 Andhra Pradesh 670 61
2 Arunachal Pradesh 11 0
3 Assam 27 0
4 Bihar 534 0
5 Chhattisgarh 146 1
6 Delhi 27 15
7 Goa 12 0
8 Gujarat 223 23
9 Haryana 119 64
10 Himachal Pradesh 8 1
11 Jammu & Kashmir 22 0
12 Jharkhand 260 4
13 Karnataka 176 43
14 Kerala 152 1
15 Madhya Pradesh 313 25
16 Maharashtra 353 9
17 Manipur 9 0
18 Meghalaya 11 0
19 Mizoram 22 0
20 Nagaland 11 0
21 Odisha 314 0
22 Punjab 138 105
23 Rajasthan 248 164
24 Sikkim - -
25 Tamil Nadu 1139 358
26 Telangana 443 46
27 Tripura 39 0
28 Uttar Pradesh 820 113
29 Uttarakhand 18 0
30 West Bengal 268 0
Total (States) 6533 1033
Union Territories
1 Andaman & Nicobar 34 0
2 Chandigarh 1 0
3 Dadra & Nagar Haveli 1 0
4 Daman & Diu 2 0
5 Lakshadweep 9 0
6 Puducherry 4 1
Total (UTs) 51 1
Grand Total 6584 1034
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